Mablethorpe as a town has existed for many centuries, although part of it was lost to the sea in the 1540s. For example, records of the Fitzwilliam family of Mablethorpe Hall date back to the 14th century. In the 19th century it was also a centre for ship breaking during the winter. Mablethorpe Hall is to the west of the town along Alford Road. It is near the parish church of St Mary (the Mablethorpe church group also includes Trusthorpe).

In 1883 the first lifeboat station was built in Mablethorpe. The station ran until the First World War when it temporarily closed because of crew shortages. After the war the station was closed permanently due to a continuing shortage of crew. The station remained closed until 1965, when an inshore lifeboat (ILB) station was established.

A new D class lifeboat, D-506 Patrick Rex Moren, was placed on service on 9 July 1996.

In 1998, a bronze medal was awarded to the Helmsman for a service on 12 April, when the D class lifeboat rescued the crew of two and saved the fishing vessel Lark. The fishing vessel had broken down in the surf and was drifting helplessly towards the shore, having lost her anchor.

The lifeboat was launched in a force 7 gale and a heavy swell – extreme conditions for this class of lifeboat. The helmsman had considerable difficulty in negotiating the rough seas in order to reach the fishing boat. He decided that it was too hazardous to take off the crew and passed a line and towed her away from danger – a considerable feat in the huge seas for a lifeboat smaller than the fishing boat and powered by one 40 hp outboard engine.

One of Britain's most renowned historical poets, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, once frequented Mablethorpe. It is said that he used to shout his poetry aloud towards the sea.

The town was visited regularly by Alfred, Lord Tennyson - one of Britain's most popular poets - in the 19th century. Some parts of the town are named after Lord Tennyson (for example, Tennyson Road and Tennyson High School).

Mablethorpe is the destination for the Morel family's first holiday in the D. H. Lawrence novel, Sons and Lovers, published in 1913. "At last they got an answer from Mablethorpe, a cottage such as they wished for thirty shillings a week. There was immense jubilation. Paul was wild with joy for his mother's sake. She would have a real holiday now. He and she sat at evening picturing what it would be like. Annie came in, and Leonard, and Alice, and Kitty. There was wild rejoicing and anticipation. Paul told Miriam. She seemed to brood with joy over it. But the Morel's house rang with excitement."

Along with many small seaside villages and some inland towns and villages, Mablethorpe lost its railway station in 1970 because of the Beeching Axe. The old railway station is today the site of the town's sports centre.

Stagecoach Interconnect 9 runs through the town, the half way point between Skegness & Louth. Generally an hourly service with summer Sunday services only operating between Skegness & Mablethorpe. Grayscroft Coaches operate numerous services from their base on Victoria Road in the town, including service 1 to Louth via Manby. Brylaine operate service 96/96A connecting Mablethorpe with Alford & Spilsby generally every 2 hours.

Mablethorpe is located within the East Lindsey council district of England.

The town is administered with Sutton-on-Sea and Trusthorpe as the civil parish of Mablethorpe and Sutton. The former parish of Mablethorpe covers a rectangular area inland along the A1104Alford Road towards Maltby le Marsh as far as the boundary between the LN12 and LN13 postcode at Grange Leisure Park[2] where Earl's Bridge crosses West Bank. The southern boundary of the former parish follows the Trusthorpe Drains which are crossed at Bamber's Bridge on Mile Lane. Out towards Alford lies Strubby Airfield. To the north is the parish of Theddlethorpe St Helen, which is much bigger in geographic area than the former parish of Mablethorpe, extending up to the River Great Eau at Saltfleetby. The town is the eastern terminus of the A52. However, the town is best accessed via the A1104 and A16 through Alford. The A157 to Louth is the sixth bendiest[3] road in the UK.

Common family attractions in the town include a small fairground and an award-winning beach.

One of Mablethorpe's long-standing traditions, its sand train, operates to take visitors to and from the northerly point of the beach.

Mablethorpe's cinema, the Loewen, lies on Quebec Road. The cinema was previously known as the Bijou.

The Dunes leisure complex lies on Mablethorpe's seafront. In 2008, the old Dunes Theatre became Sharky's Bar following a refit, however in 2012 the complex was returned to its original state and branding.

Just over a mile northeast of the town, near the Seal Sanctuary, lies Theddlethorpe Gas Terminal, which supplies five percent of the UK's gas. To the west is the Bambers wind farm, which opened in November 2004 and houses 8 turbines - producing five megawatts of energy. The Bambers II windfarm, an extension of the first, opened in November 2006, and produces an additional five megawatts of energy. The two turbines at Mablethorpe wind farm, which produce 1.2 megawatts, were the first wind turbines in Lincolnshire when they were built in July 2002. All three are owned by Ecotricity, and are situated at the corner of West Bank and the Trusthorpe Drains. Mablethorpe's Star of the East is on the seafront.

The local weekly newspapers are the Mablethorpe Leader, and The Target.[4]Radio coverage for Lincolnshire is provided by BBC Radio Lincolnshire and Lincs FM. In October of 2012, a group of volunteers worked together to create a local Community Radio Station, CoastalFM which aims to promote local events, organisations and news via online radio and podcasts.

Mablethorpe hosts Britain's only beach hut festival, Bathing Beauties, in September each year. Owners of private beach huts compete in exterior design, amidst a backdrop of poetry, music, and drama.[8]

The Mablethorpe Marathon was launched in 2006 and attracted around 2,500 runners in its first year. The event has remained popular since its conception.

For over forty years, Mablethorpe has hosted motorbike sand racing each winter and spring. This has inspired the Mablethorpe Motorcycle Festival, which launched in 2010, and which takes place yearly.

Every summer Mablethorpe hosts its illuminations event (know locally as the Switch On). Each year, a celebrity is invited to the town to switch on its illuminations. Celebrities that have attended the event in the past include Barbara Windsor, Timmy Mallett and Wolf and Hunter of Gladiators. In July 2011, Twist and Pulse of Britain's Got Talent led one of the most well-attended illuminations events.[9]